Fab Ford

Today on Xtreme 4x4, a serious lift kit for serious off roading. Ian and Jessi not only build up this new Ford Super duty, but give it a real world off-road test. Plus everyone wants to be king of the hill at gravel

Rama. We'll take you there.

Welcome to your Xtreme 4x4. Now, imagine the owner of that

tech suspensions. Give you a call and says, hey, we just developed a new suspension for Ford Super duties and he shows up in this thing.

What the

heck am I gonna do with an 18 wheeler? And inside that 18 wheeler, he puts a brand new 2005 Ford Super duty and their new eight inch radius arm lift then says you can test it out. How would you test it?

I thought so, but wait,

let's go back and see how we got this far

there. It is brand new 2005 Ford Super duty. We're going to put on Fab

Tech's new eight inch radius arm lift kit. This is part of an upgradable lift kit program that's gonna let you add what you want when you want it. You can start with a two inch lift kit and we're your

way all the way up to this. The biggest coil over around four inches available in their six or eight inch lift kit. You can even get a four length to go with this thing. You know, you've got a serious lift kit when you're running a four inch coil over.

This is what we're going to install on our Ford. The first step for the Sirius off rotor fab

radius arm, eight inch coil lift with dual option.

You can run this set up with either a six inch coil, an eight inch coil or even that monster four inch coil over. If you choose to later,

I told you the kit was upgradable.

Fab

tech is known for their off road racing heritage. They're still out there competing for R and D and for product design,

we're gonna swap out the original coils, the radius arm, the pitman arm and we're gonna lower the track bar. And during this entire process, we're only gonna have to drill a couple of holes that front looks, uh, pretty easy if you can handle it by yourself,

but I can do it faster than you can. You want to bet. Bet what, I'll bet you one dozen Doughnuts. It's on,

I'm done.

No, you

spring o

yes.

Disconnect the drag link from the frame and get rid of the stock sway bar links,

disconnect the A BS wires from the radius arms and yank them out

Jessi takes out the other trailing arm.

We'll prep this one to go in.

One trick feature of this is Fab

tech includes an eccentric on the bottom mount. This is something the factory arm doesn't even have. You can tell that this is meant to go off road. It's inch and a half drawn over mandril tubing and best of all it mounts in the factory location.

Once you lubricate the rear radius iron bushing, install the axle side and swing the rear mount into place.

Now we'll install the bump stop lowering bracket,

the brake line re locator and then we're ready for coils and shocks

and we mean shocks. You saw that super trick dual display that we had earlier. Well, this is our set up fab

tech is one of the only suspension companies that builds their shocks in house, allowing them to have tight control over their end product. After extension, the testing, of course,

now this dual hoop set up will allow us to run their dirt logic two and a quarter shocks. Of course, they build them themselves.

Now, if you're having troubles depicting the size,

this is

an original shock valve

OEM standard.

This is the dirt logic

shock valve

and this is their massive four inch valve.

Pretty big difference. Huh?

The bracket bolts to the frame

with the hoop in place, draw one hole for the lower mount,

then install the front bolt,

install the top shock mount,

followed by the eight inch coil springs.

We opted for these machine billet aluminum reservoir clamps to hold in our two and a quarter shocks.

Well, Jessi buttons up those shocks and coils. I thought I'd point out the minimum amount of bracketry in this kit. We have a drop track by our bracket. A new pitman arm, a steering stabilizer bracket and new bump stop mounts. The best thing is, is if you upgrade to that monster four inch coil over, that bracketry is not gonna move.

The new sway bar end links are trick pieces with hem

joints in either end. Now, you may expect to have those on the front of the axle, but this kit moves the sway bar to the back.

We opted for a dual steering stabilizer on the front

and while Jessi mounts this one up into place, I'm going to finish off the sway bar on the back of the axle,

the bottom of the L

bolts to the shock mount and the top attaches to the sway bar.

Later on Xtreme 4x4, Ian and Jessi take the Fab Tech Ford off road for a no holes barred payoff. But up next gravel meets horsepower at this one of a kind hill climb.

The Xtreme 4x4 event of the week is brought to you by Warren. Number one in Winches.

Welcome back to Xtreme 4x4. Right now. We're in the middle of our fabulous Fab

Tech Ford build up. Anyone's bringing in one of our next projects.

Here's the project Ranger, Jessi. Not another new Chuck. You know, when I signed on to this gig, I thought we were gonna have a challenge. No, no, not this ranger. That Ranger.

That's what I'm talking about. Now, that's a challenge. We're gonna be taking that and turn it into this ranger off road Bandit.

Now, speaking of challenge,

have you ever seen a bunch of guys get together and try and climb up a hill of P gravel check this out

for the last 34 years. Thousands of racers have come to Queens Ohio to conquer the big Eliminator Hill. Yeah, the big Eliminator Hill. That's what

it's all about. Seven stories. A peak

rev Sted as high as they can spec it.

Best man over wins.

Bottom line is the most unique four by four event

in the Midwest time. Rock n roll.

It's awesome. That's the only thing I can tell you. It's a rush.

We do four wheeling

rock crawling and stuff like that. Nothing's near as much of a rush as what this is. Hill climbs are common.

Climbing. A hill of pea gravel is not

the reason we run on the peak gravels because 35 years ago, the peak Rebel was here.

It's more like marbles than sand. We race mostly in sand at home

and dirt tracks. This is the slickest track we've come to.

You can't even crawl up it probably on your hands and knees and these cars have to try and go over it.

Almost 300 drivers competed in 16 classes for nothing more than a trophy and dragging rights for people to spend this kind of money

on their race cars to come down to a place like this and race strictly for a trophy. I mean, that just doesn't happen anymore. It's just a prestige coming out here in racing.

We can't explain the feeling of going over that hill and all that power.

It's all about having fun.

This is our b

it's the

easiest thing in the world. It's unbelievable. 35 years ago, there was one Jeep. The hill was not near as big as it is.

There was one Jeep that made it over the hill and for years, he was the only guy that made it over here. Now, it

almost impossible

to

stop

these bigger cars from going over the hill.

Every type of vehicle is welcome at Gravel Rama.

Some though aren't built to get over the top. Basically a golf cart drive train

and uh buddy I

building

and steer from up here.

We got pedals down below the gas will break.

And uh like I said, you're driving like a golf cart.

I wish it to go

to.

However, if you want to in your class, the man to see is John Dreer. I would say we've taken first place at least 20 times easy. Last year alone, we won four first places out of the X classes

in just one year.

This year, he had six machines competed.

We normally run small block Chevys in the cars that we build. The biggest part of the ones that I have out here.

Uh, the cars rate anywhere from probably 700 to 1000 horsepower. Most of the ones that we're doing run no nitrous at all.

They're just high horsepower, small block

on the big Eliminator Hill. They'll only run in one gear, low gear to run the hill.

Uh You have a tremendous amount of tire speed. We run a chain drive system to the front. There is no transfer case in them. The cars are fairly light. They run

22 to 2400 pounds mostly at a 75 degree angle. The Eliminator Hill is steep, very steep.

If I was just building cars for drag racing, it would be a little different.

But the hill, you have to have 8 to 10 inches of ground clearance to peak the top. Or else you'll drag so bad, you'll get stuck on the top of it

and they've got to be able to handle the P gravel, build the frames where they're rigid because the cars are four length suspension in the front and rear

to make him hook up harder and on a loose surface. They work good like that

with four of his machines getting over and two winning their classes, his legendary status stayed intact. There's hours and hours building the car. But

in the end, that's one of the

great rewards of it is just seeing the other cars that I built go over the hill too. I mean, it's

probably the greatest thing for me that it could be for the 75% who didn't make it to the top. None were willing to throw away their dream of cresting Four Wheeling's toughest challenge.

It's always next year.

Hey, Jessi enough TV. Come on. We got a for to finish. I

guess that's enough for gravel Rama. But stay in tune because once we get this rear end on, we're taking this bad boy out to wheeling in the country.

All right,

we're back with our 2005 Ford Super duty build up. We've already got the radius arm kit in the front from Fab

Tech. Now, we just got to put in the rear end,

which includes two Ar Cleave springs,

another set of their dirt logic shocks

and a shim kit for the carrier bearing which we'll tell you about later. Now, all we gotta do is bolt, all this stuff in

the springs attach in the factory locations,

the new U

bolts, secure the spring to the axle

and the two dirt logic shocks are installed.

The last thing we'll put on this lift kit is a shim pack that Fab

tech includes with the kit. As you can see, it comes with all different thicknesses of shims and it goes right above your carrier bearing

to keep your drive shaft in line.

Now, after you put this in, if you notice some vibration, you can take out a single or a multiple shim until that vibration goes away.

After we get that bolted up and the trucks back down at ride height,

we're gonna install these traction bars from the axle to the frame to help out with wheel hop and we work in the four.

Now, when, before you finish this up, it's a good idea to go over all the bolts and all the fittings, make sure they're tight. Yes, Jessi,

I'm gonna go pick up the wheels and tires since all this is pretty much done. Ok, I'll be here

and you're gonna want to go back over them in 500 miles and probably at your first oil change just to tighten it all up

for our super duty. We chose American racing

18 inch

Mojave rims,

the one piece polished aluminum alloys

and on them, we mounted toil open country. A T tires

deliver good off road traction

and don't limit on road capabilities.

Thanks, kid.

Oh,

Semmy.

With the truck back on the ground at ride height, we're going to slip in this super cool traction bar from Fab

Tech. It's a full floating bar and by that, it means it has a swing shackle on this front bracket, it's going to allow the axle to move through its entire movement while Jessi was out getting the tires. I put the bracket on the axle and the bracket on the frame. The cool feature is, it's drilled to match that front radius arm. So it gives it a pretty neat look.

Next, it's off to the country where Ian and Jessi put this lifted super duty to the test

when Xtreme 4x4 continues

for more information on today's show go online. Xtreme 4x4, tv.com,

since Fab's

suspension is the first one available for the new Ford super duties. We were dying to see how much better it would make our F 250

in the.

So we headed to Summer Town Tennessee and a little place called Blue

in the Country.

Hey, hey, how are y'all? I'm good. I'm Ian Johnson. I'm Darren Buchanan Darren. This is Jessi Colb.

Hey,

this wh

in the country you want to go off road today? Well, they left the keys in this truck and left at the shop. So we gotta do something with it. So you're gonna go get on some rocks with it,

see what it'll do.

The eight inch radius arm suspension turned our one ton Ford into an off rotor without compromising comfort.

We really like the way it hooked our power stroke up, especially in the rough.

Some lifts can make a truck's front end, feel light on steep approaches,

but the adjustable radius arms in the Fab

tech system add stiffness and strength to the entire front suspension.

Thanks to those big reinforced arms. Our project truck feels planted on the inclines,

the declines and everything in between

while this truck is certainly no rock crawler. We had to give it a try over the stones.

After all, more clearance is why it's lifted eight inches and rolling on 37 inch Toyos to begin with

more clearance and more suspension travel is what this is all about.

The replacement leaf springs accomplish the lift in the rear and the floating shackle mounted traction bars reduce binding.

They also allow the rear axle to travel in an arching motion unique to the F 250.

The result reduced axle wrap and increased traction.

The external reservoir shocks at each wheel dramatically increase damping capacity

and the dual steering stabilizers cut down wheel.

We put those theories to the test.

You can't test a lifted truck without getting a little air.

Now you wouldn't want to do this to a stock suspended truck,

but this one ain't stock.

This suspension is amazing. Nothing landed like a cloud of pillows. It's hard to believe. This is like a one ton truck. It's, it's unstoppable.

Hey guys, Jessi here just giving you a heads up on what we have planned for you on Xtreme 4x4.

Extreme off Roaders trailer, their rigs from all over the US in order to land in the southern California desert.

The event

fun in the desert

and the trails.

Well, they call them the hammers for obvious reasons.

These are some of the toughest trails in the country

and the Victor Valley four wheelers know how to tackle it.

Some however, don't get too far.

We hook up with the father of monster trucks, Bob Chandler

to see how far this American phenomenon has come.

We dip into the power block archives for rare footage of the man and machine that started it all.

Plus see how far Motorsports technology of today is applied to these beasts of the midway

next week.

Pigs on wheels is the joke at the toughest mud track anywhere,

muddy run raceway in Pennsylvania

to say these rigs are down

in.

It is an understatement

into this pig pen with us

and see what it takes to take home the trophy

on the home front.

We've taken delivery on an alloy tub and custom frame that we hope to turn into the ultimate aluminum Jeep.

We're talking high p nine inch front for

60 for the rear.

383 fuel injected small block and all the goodies

don't miss part one of project AJ.